Gerry Urban remembers when Vadnais Heights was nothing but farmland and five miles of gravel roads.

He can tell you when the first city sewer system was installed: 1967; or the year the Little League field was built: 1960.

He can rattle off the names of businesses that eventually moved in and the list of mayors who moved on.

He knows all of this, because Urban watched it happen, much of it as a Vadnais Heights city employee. He has worked for the suburban community about 10 miles north of St. Paul almost as long as it's been around.

Incorporated in 1957, Vadnais Heights hired Urban part time in 1968 to help plow what had grown to be its 10 miles of city streets, though he had been doing the job alongside his dad since about 1963, when Urban was only 13.

In 1977 -- after graduating from the University of Minnesota with a degree in business administration -- he was promoted to city clerk, which evolved into the city administrator position. He's held the job ever since.

Friday, Feb. 1, was his last day of 45 years of work as a Vadnais Heights city employee.

"I got mixed feelings about it. ... The city is my baby," Urban said recently about his decision to retire. "I know some people can think that's a bad thing for a public employee to think, but I think it's a natural thing. ... I put (Vadnais Heights) first for a long time."

It's fun to play the then-and-now game with the living coffer of city history.

Vadnais Heights' population when Urban was first hired? 3,000. Today? About 13,000.

Advertisement

Miles of city streets: 10 then, 43 today.

Number of full-time city employees: two then, 24 now.

Urban can rattle off the stats from memory.

He also has seen many of the city's 330 businesses come to town, including Walmart, Target, Du Fresne Manufacturing, Larson Engineering and H.B. Fuller.

Urban lent a hand to all of them, said Keith Warner, executive director of the Vadnais Heights Economic Development Corp.

"This was nothing but farm area before Gerry," Warner said. "He's been there walking each of them through the requirements and the challenges. ... There is not one part of this city (he) doesn't know intimately."

Mayor Marc Johannsen echoed those comments.

"Many of the things we've accomplished as a city have (Urban's) fingerprints on them. ... We grew from a small village to a first-rate suburban community under his leadership," Johannsen said.

Urban said he enjoyed his role in development, whether working with residents on a change to their property or with a business looking to expand.

"It's a lot about people's dreams in that sense, and I've been able to have a little help in some of that," Urban said.

For a city, development also occasionally should be about "sticking your neck out and taking risks," Urban said.

Gerry Urban, retiring Vadnais Heights city administrator, greets well wishers at the start of his retirement party at Vadnais Heights Commons in Vadnias Heights, Minnesota. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

Perhaps one of the riskier and more controversial projects Urban had his hand in was the Vadnais Sports Center, a $26 million arena that opened in 2010.

It quickly failed to live up to its revenue projections, costing the city more than $2 million, a significant drop in its bond rating and the confidence of some residents.

The city has since cut ties with the debt-ridden facility, leaving bond holders on the hook and the city embroiled in a lawsuit with the arena's former manager. A forensic audit of the arena's finances is pending.

Urban was a cheerleader for the project from the beginning, often arguing that the complex eventually could pay for itself with patience and persistence.

He still points to the investment as cleaning up a blighted corner of the city and says it has helped persuade some businesses to consider expanding in the city.

"If we did it again, I would certainly recommend doing some things differently, but I still think it's a good project," Urban said. "We just needed everybody here to be a part of it, and some people didn't want (anything) to do with it. ... That hurt it."

It also led to friction between Urban and some members of the Vadnais Heights City Council.

"I thought he was too close to the project," council member Joe Murphy said. "I know Gerry has always cared very deeply for this city, but I'm excited about the opportunity to get a fresh perspective."

The city announced Urban's replacement Friday. Kevin Watson, current city administrator in Junction City, Ore. is scheduled to start March 4. He holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of Kansas.

Urban said he is proud of the work he has accomplished, including keeping tax rates low and the level of service equal to or better than the city's neighbors.

He likely will use his free time doing additional farming on the 16 acres he lives on off Labore Road with his wife, Debra. He also hopes to finally have time to drive around in the convertible he got a few years ago.